Finally got back to the Dunes yesterday, sad to see Zwischen blackened to the peak, and Medano creek reduced to a sooty black tide, but it could have been worse...
Anyhow, i fasted and gave up beer for a few weeks so i could prepare myself for the return I didnt want to just improve on my old work--i wanted to redefine it. So i tried to mix things up a bit with this shoot, which turned out pretty successfully i think--30 keepers out of 140 exposures, which is way above my usual keep-trash ratio. Comments and critique welcome--here's my fav of the (night), not my best shot maybe but im pretty sure thats a meteor i caught crossing the sky. The rest are:HERE
Posted by Howard Cihak on August 12, 2010 at 5:45 AM
Stan, great capture of that meteor track. It's amazing what you can see when you're stone sober.
Seriously, though, I'm sure your camera was on the level when you took the shot, but the image very much suggests otherwise. My only real nit is my preference for brightening the foreground flowers a bit to give the eye something more to look at before traveling to the more distant reaches of the image.
P.S., you've got some really great images on this shoot, but I think your best one was the first one in that group. The colors of the dunes in that shot are not what we normally see. I would love to see you post that here (bigger) for all of us to see.
I knew someone would mention the perceived tilt! Well, i just got a new and improved super bubble level which i carefully used on this shoot. I was on a downward hill here which is partly why it looks tilted--but you can tell by the clouds that it's level.
You're right about that first shot having unusual light--as i was driving back from lane 6 to get to my night shoot spot, i saw that color appear and i had to hit the accelerator hard to get to the closest pull-off before the color faded (had to handhold the shot too--by the time the tripod was up the color was gone) Thanks, Howard.
Posted by Nick Moore on August 12, 2010 at 8:42 AM
This is a great collection Stan, and I think you certainly suceeded in capturing some unique shots!. My personal favourite is actually #28, the other star image, would you share your settings on that one?. I also like #1 for the kiss of light on the dunes, and the compression of layers. Great work!.
Thanks Nick, i posted that shot on ESS--i took it about an hour after sunset from the same location as the one here--just facing the opposite direction. It's 2 exposures taken at the same time--one at f/11, 20 s at ISO 1600, the other (sky) at f/4, 25s at ISO 3200. I light painted the fg with a flashlight. Actually didnt even need the flashlight-just turned it on for a brief flash, cause the lights from the houses across the road (about 100 yard away) were plenty enough for ISO 3200.
Posted by Chuck Peacock on August 12, 2010 at 9:21 AM
Do you KNOW how hard it is to get a meteor shot when you're actually trying?? Especially with a nice, well lit foreground!
You're killing me.
awesome photo's Stan I'm very impressed I love all of them. I keep being impressed with your talent everytime I see one of your posts keep up the good work
Chuck--The funny thing is that i missed it at the time, must have looked away during the 10 s exposure, only saw it when i checked the LCD after the shot. I know it was something that burned up, cause there was nothing in the exposure taken immediately after, could be space debris i guess but i did see another less-bright shooting star a couple minutes later, so i suspect there was some minor 'storm' going on. Or maybe its the infamous Valley UFOs
Chad-thanks!!
Posted by Todd Caudle on August 12, 2010 at 9:45 AM
Nice set, Stan. I'll be curious to see what the consensus on that last one (Milky Way w/lighted bee plant) is. Personally, I love it, but I'll bet the opinions will vary greatly.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 12, 2010 at 10:18 AM
So where are the keepers?
Just kidding Stan. They're really nice. Some of the dune abstracts are really well done. The humingbird moth over Cleome is cool. It'd be nice if the foreground flower weren't, but that's a tall order with those fast critters. I really like #9.
Where are the sunflowers though? Did they flop this year with the rain?
Posted by Doug Koepsel on August 12, 2010 at 10:32 AM
Stan, 1 & 28 would be my favorites. I like the diagonal layers of the first.
My first impression of 28 is that the beeplants in the very near foreground are slightly too bright.
Really nice set, Stan! My personal favorite may actually be the moth, but I'm very fond of that sort of thing. I really like #6 too, it's not like anything else I've seen from the dunes. I'm of two minds about the milky way and beeflower: it's a striking and cool visual, but it's so different from anything I'd see with the naked eye that it's a little hard to relate to.
Some of the best dune abstracts I've ever seen and a really incredible collection Stan. I guess staying sober has some benefits
Posted by Pam Colander on August 12, 2010 at 11:16 AM
Some wonderful additions to your collection Stan. I think the last one (and those like it) is really different for the Dunes. Love the ones with the grass etchings in the sand a lot! We were heading east on 160 last Sunday evening, about 15 miles from the entrance. Could see the Crestones and Dunes illuminated in this gorgeous light. To the right Blanca Peak was totoally obliterated by monsoon rains, lightning etc. By the time we closed half the distance to the entrance it was obvious it was heading towards the Dunes. Thought it might pass quickly and I could get some cool storm-clearing shots. By the time we got to the entrance you could barely see a few feet down the road! Maybe next time.
Posted by Brian Jackson on August 12, 2010 at 11:43 AM
Another spectacular series...I love #s 1, 16, and 21. Excellent job on ALL of them!
Posted by Ernie Marx on August 12, 2010 at 6:04 PM
I'm voting for numbers 1, 6, 7 and 28 (though I'm not crazy about the foreground on #28). Overall, a great set of images that really capture the feel of the dunes.
Posted by Art Escobado on August 12, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Man I really liked 16, 18 and 20!! Great shooting-
Oh, Mommy! What an outstanding collection! There's a book right here with this set for crying out loud.That first one is a big grabber, but so are many, many others.
Posted by Jody Grigg on August 12, 2010 at 9:41 PM
Some nice stuff Stan but I don't think its upto your normal Sand Dunes caliber IMO.
Discussion
25 repliesAnyhow, i fasted and gave up beer for a few weeks so i could prepare myself for the return
Seriously, though, I'm sure your camera was on the level when you took the shot, but the image very much suggests otherwise. My only real nit is my preference for brightening the foreground flowers a bit to give the eye something more to look at before traveling to the more distant reaches of the image.
P.S., you've got some really great images on this shoot, but I think your best one was the first one in that group. The colors of the dunes in that shot are not what we normally see. I would love to see you post that here (bigger) for all of us to see.
You're right about that first shot having unusual light--as i was driving back from lane 6 to get to my night shoot spot, i saw that color appear and i had to hit the accelerator hard to get to the closest pull-off before the color faded (had to handhold the shot too--by the time the tripod was up the color was gone) Thanks, Howard.
You're killing me.
Chad-thanks!!
Just kidding Stan. They're really nice. Some of the dune abstracts are really well done. The humingbird moth over Cleome is cool. It'd be nice if the foreground flower weren't, but that's a tall order with those fast critters. I really like #9.
Where are the sunflowers though? Did they flop this year with the rain?
My first impression of 28 is that the beeplants in the very near foreground are slightly too bright.